Thursday, January 27, 2011

Money is a central theme in our society, and understanding it is a useful life-skill to acquire. To add to the nsquared education pack, we've now got nsquared coin swap, ready to go. It's accompanied by an updated teacher tool, too. The app supports different currencies including Australian, UK, US and European Union (euro) coins so that it can be used in a number of different countries. No doubt there will be content packs to follow that will add to the range of currencies in the future. The aim of the game is to teach players to recognise currency denominations and their relative values. Designed for up to four players, the game challenges you to increase your funds by either swapping their coins with the amount on offer in the centre of the game board, or by keeping the coins you've already got. Take a quick look at the video below to get a better idea of what the team here has done.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Has anyone noticed the rise in numbers of slates in schools and homes lately? It seems the numbers are rising in schools and that families are also big users. While all the slates aren't iPads, a good proportion of them are. It's probably safe to say that the iPad has brought awareness of the benefits of the slate form factor to the fore. I'm pretty sure we reported Dr. Neil's excitement at being in the US on the day iPad was released. That excitement has only grown for the rest of us and it isn't contained to iPad. We've always loved the slate form factor, and have explored the capabilities of the devices for a few years now. The potential benefits are massive, particularly in education. Lately we've been putting our time into creating a new range of apps for iPad and Windows 7 touch devices. Our first two are designed for one or two participants, and they're designed to familiarise children with letters and numbers. With their parents, older siblings, or friends, they can put words and sums together and talk about what they're doing and learning. Because we wanted to keep things simple, we've named them simply, too. nsquared letters and nsquared numbers are both available in the App Store now, and we're looking forward to seeing our other apps become available for people to learn from.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Want to spruce up your Microsoft Surface with a new look for 2011? Brighten it up with nsquared gem, a free attract app developed by the team here at nsquared to celebrate the announcement of Surface 2.0. And, if you ask nicely we'll even customise the app for you and include your company logo. Visit our web site to order your free copy of nsquared gem and find out how to get your new app customised for free.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

With today's joint announcement by Samsung and Microsoft that the next generation Surface device will be available this year, we can finally end our required silence on the topic of Surface 2.0.

It's been a privileged ride being part of the select group of Microsoft's Surface partners that have had access to early information as the product has gone through its development phases. It's also been a laughable one as we watched the rumour mill reach some dizzy heights with regards to some of the more outrageous claims around what Surface 2.0 would be.

The new form factor has a 40-inch screen, is only four inches thick and can be mounted vertically or horizontally. It employs Pixel Sense technology which is a camera-less vision system, and there is a major shift in pricing, at least in US dollars. We're hoping this shift transfers equitably around the globe, making it more viable for small businesses and education to benefit from the brilliant attributes of Surface that set it in a class all of its own.

The news from us for new and existing Surface customers around the world is that we're ready to provide advice and solutions for businesses that invest in themselves with purchases of Surface 2.0. We already have market-ready Surface 2.0 apps for the Business, Real Estate, Hospitality, Banking and Finance, Retail and Education markets, and look forward to delivering more amazing experiences for Surface 2.0. Microsoft tells us that that the Samsung SUR40 will be ready for market launch later this year, and we’re looking forward to being able to announce our new product range.

In the mean time, our existing Microsoft Surface customers can continue to benefit from our in-depth understanding of Surface’s unique capabilities, and our long term continuing relationship with the Surface product team.